


In These Darkest Times, You are the Light

by masked



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, this is a promotion fic that somehow got out of hand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 03:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17952650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masked/pseuds/masked
Summary: Dean finds out what Cas is up to, and helps the world to help Cas.





	In These Darkest Times, You are the Light

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fun little promotion fic for [FTH](https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/)! I figured writing a fic about it was the best way to let AO3-only users know it's happening. 
> 
> I'm not affiliated with the project other than as a contributor, and any opinions presented in the fic are mine and mine only.

Dean finds Cas sitting in the library with a huge frown on his face and a deathly glare fixed at something on his laptop. So focused is he that when Dean walks into the room he doesn’t even acknowledge him, and Dean snoops over his shoulders and still he doesn’t even bat an eye. From what Dean can see it’s just a blank excel spreadsheet with nothing else on the screen, and Dean stares at it the same amount of time Cas does (who still hasn’t noticed him) but nothing happens.

“What’re you doing?” Dean asks, and Cas jolts from his seat.

He blinks up those big blue eyes of his at Dean and licks his lips. “Dean.” He rubs his chin and glances back down at the screen. Still blank.

Cas sighs. “I’m watching an auction that’s being held to raise money for nonprofit organizations.”

“Huh. Cool.” Dean gestures at the screen. “What’re you bidding on?”

Cas pauses for a second and inhales sharply. “I’m, um, selling.”

Dean blinks with a smile. “You’re selling?” he repeats. “Dude, if you’re selling anything from here, don’t let Sam find out.”

“No, I, uh.” Cas clears his throat. “You remember those Supernatural books.”

Dean frowns. Definitely not the way he thought this conversation was heading. “Uh huh.”

“And you’re aware of the internet presence the books have made.”

“Cas, what did you do.”

“Don’t be mad.”

“Cas, what did you _do_.”

Cas holds his secret for one, two agonizing seconds before he blurts, “I volunteered as a contributor to the auction.”

“So? What’s that got anything to do with those books?”

“The auction is based entirely around creating stories and art for people who consume existing media and literature.” Cas pauses. “Supernatural being one of them.”

Dean lets that sink in. “And you’re a contributor?”

Cas nods.

“What are you… contributing, exactly?”

“I’m offering a detailed account of an event of the bidder’s choosing. A behind-the-scenes, if you will.”

Dean has so many questions that jump out at him, but all he can muster up is, “ _Why_?”

“I just—I want to help in any way that I can. And if sharing a part of my life saves people, then so be it.”

“We literally hunt monsters, Cas," Dean says, more firmly than he means for it to sound. “We make sure people don’t _die_ on a daily basis. Ain’t that enough?”

“These people can help in ways that we can’t,” Cas replies, just as fiercely. “It’s—Humans are so grappled by their own ideas of Paradise that they’re forging war and destruction on their paths. This president of yours, he’s not right.” He shakes his head. “We didn’t stop an Apocalypse only for them to start another one, Dean. I won’t let your or Sam’s efforts go to waste.”

“Yeah, but…” Dean swallows the strange lump that’s formed around his throat during Cas’s little pow-wow. “Alright, fine. Just… don’t share any overtly specific details, I guess.”

“But… that’s what I’m offering.”

“I just mean—Nevermind.” Dean leans against Cas’s chair. “Any takers?”

“Not yet,” Cas says. Dean doesn’t miss the overly casual shrug he gives with his answer. “But it’s only been a few hours.”

“Hmm.” Dean studies the blank spreadsheet more thoroughly and when he realizes what Cas wrote as his username, his heart skips a beat. “‘caswinchester’?”

They exist in such a large room together, yet it’s only when he watches Cas’s ears grow pink that he notices how close he’s gravitated towards Cas during their conversation. “I tried ‘Castiel’ and ‘Cas’ but they weren’t available,” says Cas. “I even tried it the way Chuck spelled it—”

Dean grimaces. “With two ‘s’s?”

“—yes, and even that was taken, so I… Well, I hope you don’t mind.”

“No,” Dean says too quickly. “No, ‘course not. Anyway, good luck.”

For that, Cas beams him a smile that automatically has Dean smiling back. “Thank you.”

Dean gives him a firm pat on the shoulder just for the sake of it and goes back to his room, typing into his phone as he goes. He searches up the right post and makes a new email account, types in a few words, and refreshes the spreadsheet until he’s satisfied with what he sees. He nods to himself, and goes on with the rest of his day.

 

* * *

 

“How’s that auction of yours going?” Dean asks a few mornings later.

Cas looks up from his cup of coffee and gives such a radiant smile that it has Dean’s breath catch in his throat. “Someone won with a generous donation of fifty dollars. I just received their proof of donation email.”

“That’s great, Cas. How do you want your egg?”

“Sunny side-up.” Cas frowns slightly. “They haven’t requested anything yet so I’ve asked about it, but there’s no response so far.”

Oh, right. Dean forgot about that part where he’s actually gotta decide on what he wants from Cas. He shrugs while he gets out the frying pan. “Hell, you could just give me a hug and call it a day.”

Cas pauses in his act of putting bread into the toaster. Dean internally kicks himself and cracks some eggs without meeting Cas’s eyes. He gives a quick glance over to Cas, who’s giving him the most charged stare he’s ever seen.

“You’re the donator?”

Dean thinks about lying but they’re past that point and it’s too early in the morning for him to think of any real good excuse for his comment. “Uh. Yeah.” He resolutely focuses on poking at the eggs in the pan. “You said it was for a good cause.”

Dean focuses back on cooking—because, as one might know, sunny side-up is a style of egg that needs all the attention one’s got—and tops their toasts with some perfectly cooked eggs, and Cas still hasn’t said anything. Finally, after they sit down and start on their breakfast, Cas breaks the silence with: “That’s all you really want from me?”

Dean almost chokes on his bite of egg on toast. “What?”

“A hug,” says Cas. “That’s all you want for fifty dollars?”

“I guess.”

“You guess.”

“What do you want me to say, Cas? That I want you to relive all the bad shit that happened in our lives? Yeah, no thanks.” Cas narrows his eyes all accusingly and Dean laughs. “Buddy, I donated for a cause that you said was a good thing. I figured it was a win-win. Let me eat my breakfast in peace.”

Cas thoroughly chews on his toast in deep thought with his eyes still narrowed at Dean. Dean rolls his eyes and scarfs down the rest of breakfast so he can get out of Cas’s vicinity for a while until Cas figures this one out. But just as he stands, Cas stands up too, and before Dean can say anything else, wraps around him into a tight hug.

It’s nice, the hug. Cas hooks his chin over Dean’s shoulder and squeezes with his arms looped over Dean’s arms, encasing him into his embrace. Hesitantly, Dean raises what he can of his arms and squeezes back with Cas snug against his chest, and Cas gives a small content sigh.

“You don’t need to pay money to receive a hug from me, you know,” Cas murmurs.

Dean whisks away a spontaneous thought that a hug from Cas would be priceless because that’s probably the corniest shit he can say right now. “Yeah, I know.”

"And not all of the things I went through were bad," he continues. "I enjoy and cherish every memory I have with you."

Dean swallows, and nods.

“But that was very nice of you.”

Dean huffs.

“You are a kind, wonderful person, Dean. Thank you for donating.”

“Well hey, thanks for the hug.”

Cas gives one more firm squeeze and looks up at him without fully releasing him. Without warning, Cas leans up and gives Dean’s cheek a kiss with the slightest brush of lips that still feels like a million watts that jolts Dean from head to toe. He smiles at Dean’s frozen shock.

Dean manages to untie his tongue and say, “What was that for?”

“For being kind and wonderful to me.”

“Oh.” Dean lets out a delirious laugh. “I should do that more often, then.”

Cas’s smile widens. “You should.”

Cas finally releases him much to Dean’s dismay and walks out of the kitchen. Dean rubs the spot where Cas kissed him, his heart still beating a thousand miles a minute.

Well. That definitely paid off in more ways than one.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey folks! I'm participating as a contributor to [FTH](https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/) this year. If you win the auction with the highest bid, you can donate to some really cool and great causes and receive a prompted/personalized fic from me as a thank-you gift! You can find my info [right here](https://fth2019offerings.dreamwidth.org/125272.html). 
> 
> Bidding is currently open until March 1st, 8:00PM EST so check it out before it closes forever! It's not just limited to the supernatural fandom so please make sure to check out all the really awesome contributors. Thank you for your time!
> 
> edit: the auction is over! thanks again for your time :D the original plan was to delete this after the auction was over but I think I'll keep it for the lovely comments <3


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